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Archives for May 2022

Stars Notes: Klingberg, Bowness, Injuries

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As things currently stand, Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg is arguably the best defenseman set to be available in this summer’s free agent market. But according to Klingberg, he hopes he doesn’t get there. In today’s season-ending meeting with the media, Klingberg, who has been the subject of many trade rumors in the past, emphasized his desire to remain in Dallas, saying:

At the end of the day, I always want to stay here. We’ve been trying to find different ways to get it done. Year length, money-wise, just trying to get something we’re both happy with.

The factors that could potentially block a Klingberg return are the ones he mentioned, the cost and length of his extension. On May 7th, Stars GM Jim Nill said that he would love to keep Klingberg. But it may not be possible given the team’s cap situation and the other offers Klingberg could receive on the open market. The Stars already have Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter under contract for at least the next three seasons, and with extensions for Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson, Denis Gurianov, and Roope Hintz to consider over the next two offseasons, it’s difficult to imagine that the Stars will be able to match the kinds of offers Klingberg could receive from elsewhere. So, despite the mutual interest in a return that was communicated today, it looks as though some serious creativity will be required if Klingberg is to remain with the only NHL team he has ever known.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Stars:

  • Stars head coach Rick Bowness coached this season on an expiring contract, a deal that has now ended thanks to the Stars’ defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames. Per Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News, Bowness stated today that he would prefer a one-year contract at this stage of his career and that he may consider retirement if that’s the path he chooses to go down. Nill did praise Bowness’ work today, emphasizing that Bowness has “done a good job” in this 98-point campaign. He did also say, though, that they will need to “reassess everything.” So with both Bowness and Nill’s comments in mind, it’s certainly possible that the Stars join the multitude of teams seeking a new head coach this offseason.
  • On exit days across the NHL, it is common for the numerous injuries a team’s players have been playing through to be revealed publicly for the first time. The Stars’ end-of-season press conferences were no different, and we learned today of a multitude of ailments that Stars players were battling during the season. As relayed by Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Tyler Seguin fractured his foot in Game One of the series, Hintz strained his oblique in Game Six, and Luke Glendening had a concussion and both knee and groin issues that would have kept him out on a week-to-week basis. While it’s certain that all three players would rather be taking on the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night, one small benefit of the Stars’ loss is that they now get to begin the recovery process in earnest.

Update On Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang

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Earlier today Evgeni Malkin addressed his pending unrestricted free agency and future with the Pittsburgh Penguins, stating that he hopes to retire in Pittsburgh. For that to be possible, he must ink a contract extension with the only team he has ever known. Malkin, 35, has remained consistently productive as he has aged (42 points in 41 games this season) but has also struggled to remain in the lineup on a regular basis. So, his importance to the franchise and his strong production square up against the declining reliability of his health to make his upcoming contract situation an especially intriguing one.

Just as Malkin’s contract is expiring, so is the contract of another Penguins franchise icon: Kris Letang. Letang, who is also 35, is coming off a season where he posted a career-high in points (68) and managed to stay in the lineup for 78 games, his most since the 2017-18 season. With Malkin and Letang both up for new contracts, the Penguins’ front office (and new ownership group) has a fork-in-the-road opportunity to change the direction of the franchise.

Rob Rossi of The Athletic reported yesterday that the Penguins had offered Malkin and Letang matching three-year, $15MM extensions, offers that “did not sit well” with Sidney Crosby. While that is certainly a major development, if true, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet added some context to the situation in his recent 32 Thoughts blog. Friedman supported Rossi’s reporting on the Penguins offering Malkin a three-year term on his extension, stating that the team has symmetry with the three years left on Sidney Crosby’s contract in mind. He also reported that Malkin’s camp and the Penguins were “far, far apart” on the actual dollar value of the extension, a separation that could make Malkin’s return more challenging.

As for Letang, Friedman reported that his offer was larger than the one mentioned in Rossi’s report. Friedman says that the “last he heard” was that Letang was offered a four-year contract carrying an average annual value just “a bit less” than his current AAV of $7.25MM. Given the annual values of contracts other high-end defensemen have received (Seth Jones, Darnell Nurse, and Dougie Hamilton, as comparables, got at least $9MM AAV on deals with significantly more term) it’s an open question as to whether that reported offer will be sufficient to retain Letang’s services.

Letang did say, per Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that his “main goal” is to stay in Pittsburgh, so perhaps he will not enter the market eyeing a deal comparable to those other elite defensemen. But one does have to keep in mind that this very well could be Letang’s last chance at a massive contract, due to his age. At the very least, it seems from Friedman’s reporting that while the Penguins are apparently undertaking an earnest effort to retain their two franchise legends, there are still obstacles in the way.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Edmonton Oilers Recall Seven Players

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The Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, were eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs on Friday, and as a result, the Oilers became free to call up players without fear of their absences negatively impacting their affiliate team. Today, the Oilers announced that they have called up seven players from the Condors, a group that will form the team’s “Black Aces,” or players who practice, travel, and remain ready for their NHL teams but typically do not see game action. Those seven players are:

Perhaps the most significant name there is the goaltender, Skinner. In the unfortunate and unlikely circumstance that the Oilers’ starting goaltender, Mike Smith, gets injured or is otherwise unable to play, it’s possible that coach Jay Woodcroft could prefer to start Skinner over backup Mikko Koskinen, given their respective performances in the regular season. Koskinen played in 45 games this regular season and had a .903 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against-average. Skinner, on the other hand, posted a .913 save percentage this year, albeit in only 13 games of work at the NHL level.

The Oilers are obviously hoping that they won’t have to make such a choice, but now with Skinner and some top prospects such as Broberg, Holloway, and Samorukov in the fold, they have some more options in case this version of the Battle of Alberta proves to be especially violent.

Wild Notes: Goaltending, Johansson, Free Agency

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The Minnesota Wild look set to begin an offseason where major decisions will have to be made. One of the biggest question marks for this Wild offseason has been their goaltending situation, with much discussion devoted to the feasibility of a Cam Talbot–Marc-Andre Fleury tandem for next season. But yesterday, Fleury spoke on that possibility, stating that a return to Minnesota would be “very appealing,” and it seems that Wild GM Bill Guerin agrees with that sentiment. He was very straightforward when addressing the goaltending, saying that they “want both back,” and that the team “likes both goalies.”

While the Wild’s precarious salary cap situation thanks to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts will likely be the determining factor in whether or not a reunion actually comes to fruition, it’s clear that all parties involved are interested in getting it done. Playoffs aside, both Fleury and Talbot were great this season, combining for a 41-14-4 record, leading the Wild to one of their most impressive regular seasons in franchise history. It remains to be seen if a Fleury-Talbot tandem can be sustainable for an entire playoff run, of course, but it seems given today’s comments that they will likely get another chance to prove it can work.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Wild:

  • The Wild have a decision to make regarding defenseman Filip Johansson, the team’s first-round pick from the 2018 draft. The team can either sign Johansson to an entry-level contract before July 1st or see their exclusive rights to sign him expire. Johansson, 22, has been getting regular minutes for SHL club Frolunda HC for the past two seasons, and just five months ago signed a two-year extension to stay there. What makes this choice interesting is the fact that the Wild stand to gain a second-round pick, 56th overall, as compensation should they choose not to sign him. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that “they’re not” signing Johansson, meaning the team has chosen the pick over the prospect.
  • As previously mentioned, the cost of the Suter and Parise buyouts will cast a shadow on everything the Wild plan on doing this summer. Naturally, the team’s approach to free agency would also be altered, and today Guerin shed some light on his strategy regarding this summer’s open market. Guerin said: “Honestly, we’re pretty set. I don’t know how active we’ll be in the free-agent market.” So, with Kevin Fiala a potential cap casualty, it seems Wild fans should not expect Guerin to target any major free agents when the market opens.

Kevin Fiala’s Future Remains Uncertain

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The Minnesota Wild had a heck of a season, recording a franchise-high 113 points and securing home ice advantage in the first round. Unfortunately, it didn’t result in any postseason success, as they were eliminated in six games by the St. Louis Blues.

Despite the fact that they haven’t been together for very long, many were pointing to this season as a sort of “last dance” for the current Wild roster because of cap penalties coming next year. Minnesota will carry a $12.74MM cap charge in 2022-23, and a $14.74MM cap charge in the following two years because of the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. With a penalty that amounts to close to 16 percent of the cap ceiling, it’s extremely hard to build a competitive roster, at least when your goal is the Stanley Cup.

That means this offseason, general manager Bill Guerin will have to make some significant changes.

Most notable is the restricted free agent status of Kevin Fiala, who set a career high with 33 goals and 85 points this year after finding immediate chemistry with rookie Matt Boldy. Fiala’s platform year was an outstanding example of the dynamic five-on-five player many have always known he can be, as 67 of those points came at even-strength. Now, as he heads into the summer as an RFA for the final time, the Wild could very well have to move on from their Swiss star. Guerin was clear about that at his press conference today:

There’s uncertainty. We’d love to have Kevin back. I don’t know if it’s going to be possible. We have to dig into it a little bit, to see what we could possibly do. But there is uncertainty, that’s a good word for it. 

I’m uncertain. I am. Look, we can do anything–but at what cost?

Guerin explained that there have not yet been discussions with Fiala’s agent but there is no rush at the moment. As an arbitration-eligible RFA, the team still has control over the 25-year-old through the summer and doesn’t necessarily have to rush to get a new contract or a trade completed in the coming weeks.

Importantly, the Wild already have more than $75MM committed to next season with the buyout penalties, and other roster holes to address. That includes the goaltending position, where Cam Talbot is under contract, but Marc-Andre Fleury is a potential candidate for a short-term extension. They also will have several forward spots open even beyond Fiala, with Nicolas Deslauriers and Nick Bjugstad both scheduled for unrestricted free agency.

There are some internal candidates for those spots, with Marco Rossi leading the way after he returned from illness to have an excellent minor league season. The 20-year-old forward is expected to compete for a spot in training camp and likely has an inside track, given his relatively inexpensive entry-level contract. Rossi’s offensive upside could help to soften the blow of losing Fiala, and a trade could net the Wild other pieces to help build their club into a contender once again. It will be difficult, however, which makes this first-round loss likely sting all the more for fans in Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Adam Ginning

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed another prospect, inking Adam Ginning to a two-year entry-level contract. Ginning could have become an unrestricted free agent had he not signed by this summer, given he was drafted four years ago.

Now 22, the big, physical defenseman has not exactly followed the development path that some expected when he was a young player. After making it to the SHL by the age of 17, he became the captain of the Swedish junior program and looked like a sure-fire first-round pick in 2018. But there was just no sign of any offensive upside at all by the time the draft rolled around, and with teams leaning at that point toward mobile puck-movers, Ginning ended up falling nearly out of the second.

The Flyers grabbed him, a worthwhile bet at that point, but things still haven’t really changed for the 6’3″ defenseman. He still provides basically no offense–he scored just five points in 51 games this season–but things have started to change in the NHL, as teams start to covet reach, mobility, and physicality once again at the position. The fact that Ginning continues to find team success, and won an SHL championship this year, shows that there is something to be said for his shutdown style.

Given he is no longer under contract in Sweden, the next step is likely for him to come to North America and play in the minor leagues. As an older prospect, he may even move quickly through the system and see NHL minutes next season. Whether he can hold down a spot is another question entirely, though it’s easy to see why the Flyers are willing to give him a chance after such a successful campaign.

Maple Leafs Will Not Make Management, Coaching Changes

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Any team that faces a first-round exit will draw questions about the future of its management and coaching staff, especially so when it is the same result year after year. The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t moved past the first round since 2004, meaning those questions are getting louder and louder. Today, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan made it very clear during his end-of-year availability that the jobs of both general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe are not in jeopardy for next season.

Both will be back and have already started exit interviews with the Maple Leafs roster that failed to get past the Tampa Bay Lightning in round one. Shanahan specifically noted that they will “not be making changes just for the sake of making changes” and gave a full vote of confidence to Dubas and Keefe as important parts of the organization.

Since taking over behind the bench in 2019, Keefe has had one of the most successful starts to his NHL coaching career in history–at least in terms of regular season success. Through 185 games behind the bench, he has gone 116-50-19, a .678 winning percentage that is actually better than the likes of Scotty Bowman, Jon Cooper, and Joel Quenneville. Obviously, that kind of success doesn’t mean much if the playoff results don’t follow but it certainly would be difficult to move off the young coach so quickly.

For Dubas, the results are similar in the regular season, though there has also been criticism over the way some of his contract negotiations have gone–specifically with the young restricted free agents that were handed huge long-term contracts. As those players get closer to unrestricted free agency–Auston Matthews will be a free agent after the 2023-24 season–the pressure to win will be even more apparent on Dubas and his management staff.

Winnipeg Jets Interviewing Barry Trotz

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From the moment that Barry Trotz was relieved of his duties as head coach of the New York Islanders, speculation began about where he would head next. The Winnipeg Jets seemed like an obvious possibility because of their current vacancy, and Trotz’s connection to the area. The Winnipeg-born Trotz not only played junior and college hockey in Manitoba, but also started his coaching career there, first with the University of Manitoba and then with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The connection now is more than just speculation, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Jets will interview Trotz for their head coaching position today.

Of course, in this scenario, a meeting may be just as much Trotz interviewing management as them interviewing him. The veteran coach is expected to have his pick of several spots, after being a surprise addition to the pool of candidates this summer. After 1,812 games as a head coach in the NHL, a 2018 Stanley Cup championship, and two Conference Finals appearances in the last three years, it’s difficult to find a more well-respected name in the league. Trotz won the Jack Adams Award as the best head coach in the NHL in both 2016 and 2019, and has an overall record of 914-670-60-168, despite starting his career with the expansion Nashville Predators that struggled for several years before becoming a consistent playoff contender.

In Winnipeg, the Jets are looking for a replacement following Paul Maurice’s stunning resignation earlier this year. Dave Lowry stepped into the head coaching role on an interim basis, but the club wasn’t able to take a step forward and get back into the playoff race. For a club that had huge expectations before the season began and isn’t likely to face a rebuild, a coach like Trotz seems like a perfect match to get them back to contender quickly.

St. Louis Blues Sign Vadim Zherenko

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The St. Louis Blues have added an interesting goaltending prospect, signing Vadim Zherenko to a three-year entry-level contract. Zherenko spent this season playing in Finland, mostly for Ilves Tampere at the highest level.

Selected 208th overall in 2019, just a few spots from the end of the draft, the 6’3″ netminder has continued to develop his game overseas while the Blues kept a close watch. Before heading to Finland, he had been coming up in Russia and had huge success at both the VHL and MHL levels, even winning a championship in the MHL. In fact, he earned the playoff MVP for that run in 2021, going 10-1-2 with a .939 save percentage in 13 appearances.

While he didn’t have quite the same impact in Finland, Zherenko did post a .902 in 30 Liiga appearances. Given that he is still signed with Ilves for 2022-23, it seems likely that he’ll be loaned back overseas before next season begins, where he can continue to see ample playing time as his game grows.

If he does, it would still use up the first year of his three-year deal as the 21-year-old is not young enough to see the contract slide forward any longer.

Penguins Notes: Malkin, Rust, Rakell

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When the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs in seven games, it may have signaled the end of a significant era. Many of the team’s most recognizable players are pending unrestricted free agents, including Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin. When speaking to the media today in his end-of-year press conference, Malkin made his desire to stay in Pittsburgh very clear:

I love this city and I love these fans so much. If this team wants new blood and young guys and they say to me to move on, we will see… I believe in my agent and I trust him. I want to stay here. I want to play in the NHL… I hope I stay here. I hope I retire here.

The 35-year-old Malkin explained that he wants to play three or four more years in the NHL and was effusive in praising fellow Penguins legends Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, the latter of which is also a free agent this summer. Malkin has spent his entire career to this point in Pittsburgh, a career that includes 981 regular season games, 1,146 points, a Calder trophy, Hart trophy, two Art Ross trophies, a Conn Smythe, and three Stanley Cup championships. Calling it his “second hometown” he is hoping that the two sides can come to an agreement on a new contract.

  • One of the other extremely important pending free agents wasn’t quite as ready to call Pittsburgh his hometown, at least not in terms of a discount. Bryan Rust explained that he feels as though he has outperformed his contract the last few seasons and is looking for a “reasonable” deal if he’s to stay in Pittsburgh. There’s no doubt that Rust has produced much more than the average $3.5MM player the last few seasons, which have included three-straight years of at least 22 goals. The argument might be that he has yet to play more than 72 games in a single season, which has reduced his overall totals. The 30-year-old has never broken the 60-point mark, despite scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the last few years.
  • Then there is Rickard Rakell, who only arrived a few weeks ago at the trade deadline. The former Anaheim Ducks winger fit in quite well in Pittsburgh and believes it is “definitely” a place he would like to come back to if possible. Rakell admitted that he understands the team has some bigger free agents to deal with first, but is obviously open to a contract extension with a club where he believes he can take his game to “the next level.” Rakell scored 13 points in 19 games down the stretch but was ultimately forced out of the first-round series and saw just 19 minutes against the New York Rangers.

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